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The talented musician, one half of the innovative 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the pair scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He later founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

During that performance, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a period of ill-health.

"I managed to damage myself significantly," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."

After catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in the hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication next year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we literally completed only a few days ago," stated the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond described his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense aspect of my life and for the music you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without you."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a duo with someone is distinct from being in a band, the bond is incredibly close," he added.

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, incredible, memorable moments as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from his birth name to David, together with his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, selling 21 million copies globally. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at the second position in the following year.

Career Highlights

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball said.

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it applies for so many bands."

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a second classic album - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After another break, they reappeared in recent years, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

Yet, they remained together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their initial records.

He added that his period in hospital had influenced the band's sound.

"I experienced unusual memories when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a music magazine.

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from that time.

"In parallel, it's about the times me and Marc had in the 80s."

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.